Perceived influence of parenting styles on the body esteem of male students at the University of the Witwatersrand.
No Thumbnail Available
Date
2010-06-28T07:30:19Z
Authors
Dubazana, Zanele
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Abstract
This study set out to examine the perceived influence of parenting styles on the body
esteem of male students at the University of the Witwatersrand. Ninety eight first year
male students in the age range of 18-22 years, from the medical faculty at the University
of the Witwatersrand enrolled in psychology participated in the study. Four scales were
administered: a demographic questionnaire, the Body Esteem Scale, the Parental
Authority Questionnaire, and Rosenberg’s Self-Esteem Scale. The results indicate that
there is no significant correlation between perceived paternal and maternal parenting
styles and the body esteem and self-esteem, respectively of the male students. There are
no self-esteem and body esteem differences according to race. The tripartite theory
suggests that a combination of peers, parents and media have some level of influence on
body esteem and self esteem perceptions (Shroff & Thompson, 2005). The theory
suggests that tripartite influential factors play a different role at different times of an
individual’s life (Thompson, Coovert & Storner, 1999). Parents play a crucial role at the
pre-adolescent stage; peers are more influential at the adolescent stage and the media is
more influential at the early adulthood stage (Levine & Harrison, 2004). Vygotsky’s
socio cultural theory indicates that the child’s learning development is affected by the
culture in which he or she is raised (Vygotsky, 1981). According to Vygotsky’s
perspective, the community at large, specifically adults and peers, are lifelong role
players that serve as guides to support cognitive growth (Vygotsky, 1986). These theories
bring the variables discussed in this study into theoretical perspective and bring out the
relevance of socialisation and identity formation (Vygotsky, 1981). The study concludes
that there are many factors that can influence males at different stages of their lives;
parents do not appear to be the leading influential factor at the stage in this study.